Page 20 of The Vet from Snowy River
‘Oh! For some reason … gosh, this is awkward, I thought—’
‘You thought I was retired? An elderly lady of leisure, just puddling about in Hanrahan putting my nose into everyone’s business because I’d run out of socks to darn?’
The wink Marigold dropped in her direction took the sting from her words, but Vera reached down into the cabinet and pulled out a slice of tart for herself. She needed a calorie fix.
‘I suppose I did,’ she said. ‘Pretty ageist of me, wasn’t it?’
Marigold chuckled. ‘I think you need to pop on down and join my yoga class, Vera. Every morning at dawn, spring through autumn, on sunrise. Keeps me young at heart. But, you aren’t totally wrong. Ididretire. I had a florist shop in Cooma back in the day, which is how I became an expert on weddings. And funerals, now I think about it.’
Something was tugging at Vera’s memory. ‘Graeme told me he knew a florist; he must have meant you. Do we have you to thank for the fresh flower delivery he organised?’
‘That boy is almost as cunning an operator as I am. I put him in touch with the couple who bought my business. Mates rates,’ she said. ‘I send bridal business their way, so they like to keep me sweet.’
Vera smiled. ‘I’m very grateful. The tables are so pretty with the touch of pink and yellow. Do you do much, er, bridal business?’
Marigold scraped her fork over her plate to gather up the last crumbs. ‘One a month, I suppose. Funerals the same. The weddings tend to be out-of-towners who fancy a wedding in the alps. The funerals are locals. Usually people Kev and I have known for donkeys.’
‘That explains …’ Vera paused.
‘What, honey?’
‘Oh, it’s just, when we first met, you mentioned you and Kev visit Connolly House a bit. Where my aunt is.’
Marigold rested a ring-heavy hand on hers. ‘I do funeral services there, yes. There’s a chapel for those that like a reverend to see them off, and celebrants are welcome to use it. I potter about with the relatives of the deceased, and Kev takes roses from his bushes at the hall and does a bit of flower arranging with the residents who enjoy that sort of thing. Is this going to be difficult for you today, Vera? Having a funeral wake here? Is it too close to home?’
‘No. It’s fine, really.’
‘Because we can farewell Joyce in the park; you just say the word.’
Vera blinked away the sting in her eyes. ‘You’re very kind, Marigold.’
Marigold gave her hand a squeeze. ‘You just remember that later when I’m bossing you around.’
CHAPTER
7
Josh knew the power nap wasn’t going to happen the second he walked back into the clinic. Sandy must have heard him come through the private foyer which led upstairs, because the door to the reception area flung open and she was standing there, with a pleading look on her face which did not bode well for his plans.
‘Josh, best boss ever, you got a minute?’
He supposed he did. And being called boss did still send a thrill up his spine. ‘Sure, what’s up?’
‘I need to run to the bank, and Hannah’s tied up, and—’ She angled her eyebrows to the waiting room behind her, to where a chubby-kneed kid sat huddled in a chair. ‘We have a goldfish emergency.’
‘A what?’
Sandy lowered her voice to a whisper. ‘Might be dead. Kid’s used half a box of tissues already trying to stop snivelling.’
‘Seriously. A fish.’
‘Yeah. Ovoid in shape, has a tail, breathes through gills.’
Josh narrowed his eyes. ‘Snarky remarks mean I get to have a jellybean from the reception jar; you know that, Sandy.’
She winked at him. ‘The crying fish kid beat you to them. Go on, see what you can do, can you?’
‘But I’m so inexperienced,’ he said. ‘Surely this is a job for our most senior vet?’
